Juries

Amrit Gangar
Film Scholar

Amrit Gangar is a Mumbai-based author, curator, film theoretician and historian, working in the field of cinema for three decades in different capacities. Besides having made several short films, mainly about the city of Mumbai, he has also worked on creative and production sides of a number of feature films, documentaries, short films and video installations from European and Scandinavian countries. He has curated several events for film festivals, galleries and universities at home and abroad. For the past decade he has been engaged with his theoretical concept of Cinema Prayoga, which he has presented at various venues including Tate Modern, London; Pompidou Centre, Paris; Yale University, USA; Columbia University, USA; Lodz Film School, Poland; Danish Film School, Copenhagen; University of the Arts, London; York University, Toronto; Viswabharati University / Santiniketan, India; Jnanapravaha, India; the National Centre for Performing Arts, India and the Kochi Muziris-Biennale, India.

He has also curated and presented the art of Bollywood billboard painting in Europe along with the billboard painters from Mumbai and has been the Indian correspondent for ARTiT, a bilintual art journal published from Tokyo and the Film International, published from Tehran, Iran. Gangar has been a jury member at film festivals in India and abroad. He was appointed as Consultant Curator for the National Museum of Indian Cinema by the Government of India. He is also on the international advisory board of the journal Moving Image Review & Art Journal (MIRAJ) published from London.

Gangar has authored and edited several books on cinema in English and Gujarati, including two books on the German filmmakers, Franz Osten and Paul Zils; both published by the Goethe Institute / Max Mueller Bhavan, Mumbai. In 2001, he was artistic consultant, along with Marina Abramovic, on the dance-theatre production Total Masala Slammer, directed Michael Laub and produced by the Hebbel Theatre, Berlin. He has also a production executive on the Lars von Trie-Jorgen Leth collaboration, The Five Obstructions. Gangar was part of Classic Incantations: The German Film Orchestra Babelsberg Performs A.R. Rahman during the Germany Year in India, 2011-2012.

Stanzin Dorjai Director/ Producer

Stanzin Dorjai hails from a remote village called Gya in Ladakh, 70 kms south east of Leh, Ladakhs largest city. His parents were famers, working their fields and herding Yaks and Sheep.

Stanzin attended school in Gya until 8th standard, after which he joined the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement Of Ladakh (SECMOL), an alternative school near Leh where students gets the opportunity to pursue different careers. This is where Stanzin first developed a sense of filmmaking. At that time, filmmaking was not seen as a acceptable career in Ladakh. Stanzin however challenged this mindset, producing and directing feature films and documentaries.
During his time at SECMOL, Stanzin also graduated from Jammu university.

Today, Stanzin is the first writer/director from Ladakh to have worked internationally, producing film for ARTE (French and German TV), Ushwaia (French TV) and ZDF - ARTE (German TV). His work has earned his several international awards from festivals including; BANFF (Canada), Mountain International Film Festival in Autrans (France) and the International Film Festival of Popular Since and Cultural History (Hungry).

Stanzin also write and direct films nationally, making for WWF - India, a film on the environment and for the government of India, a film on pioneering work done in Ladakh regarding renewable energy.

He is the founder of the Himalayan Film House, Leh, one of the best film making Studios in Leh that produces, videos, Feature Films and Documentaries on regional, national and international levels.

Massoud Bakhshi International Jury

Born in Tehran in 1972, Massoud Bakhshi got noticed for his very personal shorts, made between 1999 and 2010. Ranging from the serious ('Identification of a Woman', 1999) to the hilarious and biting (Tehran Has No More Pomegrenates! (2007)), from documentary to fiction, his body of work is varied and challenging. After a first foray into the realm of imaginative narration (the 12 minute Baghdad Barber (2008)), Bakhshi proves very successful with his first feature, A Respectable Family (2012), a noir thriller. Not content to be brave, the movie is well made, which makes its violent attack against the material and moral corruption that corrodes Iranian society all the more effective. An unforgettable experience for the viewer.

Mearaj-Ud-DinDirector/ Producer

Achievements

He has received manyHe has produced many Documentary films on different subjects.

He has written many Scripts for Documentary films on various subjects and serials.

He has written articles on Sofiyana music, published in in special number of sheeraza

As Jury

He remained member Advisory committee forAll India Radio (Radio Kashmir)

He has served as member in department of Informal education, Kashmir University.

He has served as member of jury for Drama festival of Doordarshan-2004-05

He has served as member for selection committee of Ministry of Human Resource-2006.

He has served as member for grant of Financial assistance to various cultural organizations, granted by the J&K Cultural Academy during 2006-07

Gul Reyaz is an Indian Award winning Filmmaker and Actor. He was born in Srinagar Kashmir India. He has started his carrier as a stage artist/director. He has participated number of serials, Plays & Tele films for Doordarshan & other channels. He has directed more than 60 Television Serials, documentaries, 3 tele-films & 6 stage plays. Gul Reyaz has received many honors & appreciations for his work. Presently Gul Reyaz is working on his feature film “Shushur” The Frozen Time.

He was awarded best filmmaker of Kashmir in 2015, by Kashmir News Network

He has received many awards for his film "Gul".

He has been awarded ‘A’ top by National School of Drama for 45 days theatre workshop.

He is approved as Top grade actor in Doordarshan.

Member of jury Kashmir Got Talent 2015, by Pace Production & University of Kashmir

Member of selection committee for 8th Jaipur international film festival 2016